How would you describe what spiritual formation is?
Think of the person you feel closest to in this life. As important as that relationship is to you, it can’t be healthy if you put it on auto-pilot. Healthy relationships need regular nourishment in order to grow and thrive. If you don’t spend time with that person, listen attentively to them, share your feelings, show humility, and sincerely work to repair ruptures that occur, that relationship will eventually stagnate and possibly even die. Relationships are dynamic entities; they are always in the process of growing or floundering depending on how well they are maintained.
The same is true for your relationship with God. He created us in His image as relational beings. We are first to be in a meaningful relationship with Him and then with each other. Yet, in our busy lives, it’s easy to make time and energy for the myriad tasks that beg for our attention every day while giving little to no energy or attention to nurturing our relationship with God. Without even realizing it, we find ourselves falling well short of the joy, power, and peace that should characterize a spiritually vital life in Christ.
Spiritual formation is an ongoing journey taken by those who faithfully follow God. Working from the perspective of spiritual formation, we do not just believe certain things about Jesus—we strive to regularly practice them. The apostle Paul instructs the church in Philippi to do more than learn, receive, and listen. Paul writes, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me— practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9). How do we do that? What are some ways that we can step off the ever-moving conveyor belt of life and give ourselves the margin we need to grow in our relationship with God?
Here are four suggestions for practicing spiritual formation:
1. Communicate with God through prayer. The process of prayer increases our awareness of God, His character, and His work in our lives and the larger world.
2. Grow in wisdom. Learning as a Christian practice is not only about acquiring more knowledge but also growing in wisdom.
3. Make time for reflection. Be intentional to reflect on what you are experiencing and learning. Make mental notes of how you are being challenged and how you are changing. Learn from your mistakes.
4. Act on what you know. Following Jesus doesn’t become a living journey until we become “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). This action flows from hearts that have been changed.
These ideas on spiritual formation will hopefully jumpstart some of your own thoughts for this discussion. You’ll have the opportunity to come up with your own definition of spiritual formation and why it’s important for growth. You’ll also explore the relationship between spiritual formation and “the good life,” which was introduced in Workshop One. Plus, you’ll be able to weigh in on how the practice of spiritual disciplines, such as meditation, fasting, worship, and service, among others, can be incorporated into the process of spiritual formation.
Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:
· Examine different concepts of spiritual formation.
Background Information
To prepare for this discussion, you will first read a chapter from the textbook, watch two videos on spiritual formation, and then read a brief article on the spiritual disciplines. This should give you the exposure to spiritual formation you need to facilitate a discussion that is thoughtful and reflective.
Instructions
1. Read Chapter 2, “Forgiveness,” in your textbook The Science of Virtue: Why Positive Psychology Matters to the Church.
2. Read the article “ What Are Spiritual Disciplines? (new tab) ”
3. Watch the following videos (for transcripts, please see Overview of Spiritual Formation Transcript (Word document) and/or Two Chairs: The Process of Spiritual Formation Transcript (Word document) ):
4. YouTube Videos: Soul Care: Overview of Spiritual Formation and Two Chairs: The Process of Spiritual Formation
5. Navigate to the discussion topic and respond to the following discussion questions:
a. In your own words, how would you describe what spiritual formation is? Be specific.
b. Why is spiritual formation thought of as an ongoing process that needs to be deliberately pursued? What value does this have in a person’s life?
c. What is the relationship between spiritual formation and “the good life”? Go back and read the “good life” discussion and what you wrote about it in the prior discussion. Try to integrate the two in a way that seems compatible.
d. What role, if any, do the spiritual disciplines have in nurturing a person’s spiritual formation?
e. Can you share a Bible passage that you see as encouraging ongoing spiritual formation? Explain how this speaks to spiritual formation.
6. Your post should be between 400 and 500 words long.
a. If you use outside sources in your discussion comments, but sure to include APA-formatted in-text citations to support your post. You may use your readings for this assignment for your citations.
7. Your postings should also:
a. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking, supported by at least two academic sources.
b. Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.
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